RAWALPINDI: Under the law, one must wear a safety helmet when riding a motorcycle or moped on roads, but due to slackness in the enforcement of the law, only four out of 10 motorcyclists are wearing a helmet these days.

This figure, which was confirmed by the City Traffic Police, showed that majority of motorcyclists were not concerned about their safety and were unwilling to wear a helmet.

Motorcyclists caught not wearing a crash helmet could either receive a warning from the traffic wardens or fined Rs200 only. Not only is riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet illegal but it is also dangerous both for the rider and others.

A safety helmet reduces the risk of serious head injuries by minimising the impact of a collision to the head, a traffic police official said, adding head injuries lead to death and disability. This is why wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle is essential, he said.

Do the helmets being sold in markets meet international safety standards? Apparently not.

To calculate helmet safety ratings, each model of motorcycle helmet undergoes impact tests at different speeds.

A few months ago, the district administration of Rawalpindi had restricted petrol stations from selling fuel to motorcyclists not wearing helmets. In addition, motorcyclists without helmets were not allowed on the Mall. But the situation changed due to slackness in the enforcement of the law.

When contacted, a spokesman for the City Traffic Police confirmed that majority of motorcyclists were not wearing safety helmets due to nonexistence of campaigns against them.He said the traffic police had been considering launching campaigns against motorcyclists who were not wearing helmets.

In addition to ignoring wearing helmets, majority of motorcyclists do not care about registration plates, indulge in speeding, and their bikes are without back lights which also put their life and that of others at risk.The City Traffic Police have been operating without a permanent head as the outgoing city traffic officer has also been working as the SSP operations.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2021